


Into the Mojave and Beyond

by lucifer101



Series: Marlene's Mojave Adventures (MMA) [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Titles, im also bad at summaries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 18:10:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9778466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucifer101/pseuds/lucifer101
Summary: Marlene can barely remember her past, Craig wants to forget his past. The two make an interesting traveling pair as they journey out to seek revenge on not only Benny but the Legion army as well.





	1. Chapter 1

Marlene didn’t feel the need to hesitate when she looked into Boone’s murky brown eyes. Though his expression was glum and his eyes were already trying to look past her she let the words pour out of her mouth.

“Come with me Boone, let’s go after the Legion,” the sentence seemed to slip out of Marlene’s mouth easier than she thought it would. In the dead of night and standing inside a dinosaur’s mouth the future seemed to become clearer to her. It would take a fool not to realize that Boone’s past experience as a sniper in the NCR would be a good quality in a traveling partner. _Yeah, a traveling partner-- that’s it!_ Marlene smiled to herself knowing that if everything went to plan she would get to Freeside even sooner.

“You don’t want to do that,” Boone frowned and turned his head away from her. Maybe if it was the past and Carla was still alive he’d find himself more willing to join up with a stranger’s cause...but Carla was dead and so was the will inside him to carry on with life normally. The woman standing in front of him was certainly different than any other wastelander he’d met out in the Mojave and her story was certainly more out of the ordinary than any other quest for revenge yet Boone still found himself hesitating slightly towards her proposal.

 “Listen, I can tell you’re sad about Carla but look on the bright side-- you were able to get your revenge on Jeannie. I’m in the same boat here besides, don’t snipers work in pairs?”

Boone scratched the back of his neck. The woman was _right_ , snipers worked in pairs and surely whatever revenge plan she had concocted would ultimately fail if someone wasn’t there to guide her. He knew that Marlene wasn’t dumb and that she was certainly more crafty than she had originally led on.

“...I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well...but I guess I wouldn’t mind joining you,” Boone replied nonchalantly.

A satisfied smirk came to play on Marlene’s lips. She already knew of the long journey that still lingered before them yet it seemed to feel shorter now that Boone had accepted her invitation. Marlene tucked away a few strands of wispy hair behind her ears before stretching and yawning loudly.

“That’s great news to hear, my dear. Well it is approximately two in the morning and we’re both standing up here in a giant dinosaurs mouth,” Marlene grinned noticing how Boone squinted his eyes at the words _my dear_ , “Now I guess I’ve got a free room over at the motel. I’m going to sleep for a bit and then we’ll hit the road.”

Boone nodded in agreement not bothering to ask why Marlene suddenly had a free room at the hotel. Soon he would realize that she had a tendency to loot everything off of a dead body. For now though he turned his back away from the girl. Sleep would have to wait for he now knew that there was someone else in his life he’d have to protect.

Marlene promptly turned around as well, knowing that Boone wouldn’t be going anywhere. She traversed down the dimly lit stairs inside of the dinosaur and out into the cold night of the Mojave. It was only a short walk from the dinky dinosaur to her motel room. At least with Jeannie’s demise she wouldn’t have to worry about the motel owner’s crankiness in the morning. _At least now I don’t have to return the key._ Marlene found herself smiling once again as she pushed the door open to her room. While the dingy blue carpeting and stained walls did nothing to add to the dreariness of the room it was still a nice enough place to sleep in.

Calloused hands made their way down to the zipper of Marlene’s leather armor. In just a few short seconds Marlene had taken off the armor and reclined into the depths of the bed that laid center in the room. The radio that had laid adjacent to the bed on a nightstand was also turned on. It had been days, maybe even weeks, since Marlene could fall peacefully asleep without the help of a little background noise. Ever since the whole shooting incident Marlene had found that she had trouble even thinking about sleep. For every time she laid down to rest her weary body an image of her past appeared in her mind. The image would flash in her mind for just a few seconds, teasing Marlene’s consciousness, for she knew that her memory would return eventually-- at least that’s what Doc Mitchell had said. For now, Marlene was feeling discontempt with her small little flashbacks.

 _Think Marlene,_ Mr. New Vegas’ chilly robotic voice had interrupted her drowsiness, _who really were you before Goodsprings?_ Marlene turned off the radio frustrated. The only mention of her on the radio was that she was a courier. _Obviously I was a courier and it was clear I had trusted Benny enough when I arrived in Primm. Why did I trust him?_ It wasn’t just the past that was bothering Marlene either. There was that town Nipton she had passed through earlier that day. The man who wore the funny wolf pelt on his head had seemed familiar to her before as well. Of course that was besides the point-- the Legion had completely ruined Nipton. The smell of death and destruction had encompassed that town completely and Marlene was sure the men that she saw tied to crosses would haunt her memories for the next few days. Then there was the gang of Vipers she had to run away from after walking through Nipton. _Stupid Vipers! Now I have to waste the rest of my caps on medical supplies before we leave._

 Oh yeah! That was right, Marlene had also been able to prove to Boone that Jeannie’s death was justified. _Boone._ Out of all of the people Marlene had talked to on her journey, Boone was the only one who hadn’t looked down on her with pity. _Figures he doesn’t pity me...I mean I guess I literally did offer to find the person who sold his wife to slavers. And of course he then did proceed to kill said “seller”._ The thoughts of Boone shooting Jeannie without mercy crowded Marlene’s mind until she found the darkness taking over and drifted asleep.

Marlene jolted awake feeling out of breath as she heard a loud knock coming from the door. She glanced down at her Pipboy to check the time. After hitting the pipboy a few times to get the machine running smoothly again, the date and time began to flicker on the screen. _Ugh...it’s only eight, why couldn’t I have slept in just a little longer?_ With a soft grumble Marlene slid out of bed and walked over to the door where she cracked it open. Standing in front of her was Boone. He was wearing the same outfit as usual and the sunlight from outside reflected off of his shades effectively managed to blind Marlene.

“Why couldn’t you have given me just a little bit longer?!? I still need to put my armor back on,” Marlene snapped. Boone rolled his eyes. From what he had seen from Marlene so far, it seemed like she was a well enough put together person. Normally Marlene had kept her golden locks pinned on top of her head in a bun, she wore a generic variant of the leather armor that so many other wastelanders had seemed to like to wear too. Boone had also noticed that she had taken the initiative to holster her various junky handguns on her belt. Right now however Marlene looked like a mess-- her matted hair flowed freely down her sides complimenting her bronze skin. The unusual change from a full set of leather armor to just an undershirt and shorts made Boone do a double take. Marlene noticed Boone’s wandering eyes and rolled her eyes as well.

“Give me a second to change back into my armor, after that I want to talk to that ‘doctor’ that loiters around the front of the town,” Marlene interrupted the silence again sensing that her new partner was not much of a talker.

“I just came up here to see if you were still interested, that’s all,” Boone shrugged his shoulders. He backed away from the door and smirked, “I’ll be waiting out here.” And with those words spoken he found Marlene slamming the door in his face. After a few minutes she emerged again looking prepared to continue traveling the wasteland.

The pair walked down the stairs of the motel and onto the dusty barren roads that connected Novac with the rest of the Mojave. Boone found it strange that Marlene wouldn’t want to hit the roads right away but if she wanted to waste her caps buying supplies from the local quack he wasn’t going to be the one to protest against it. The two made their way to a tent adjacent to the motel. Inside, the “doctor” Ada Straus looked up from the game of caravan she was playing and smiled at the two seemingly clueless customers.

“What will it be?” Straus asked while lifting the brim of her sunhat to uncover the top of her face. Marlene noticed the doctor’s strange disposition but failed to comment on the doctor’s strange mannerisms and appearance. _Just buy the supplies and you’ll never return here again._

“I’m looking to buy some supplies. Y’know...medical supplies, like stimpaks.”

“Hmmm I guess I could you sell you some stimpaks although you know that Med-X is an even better pain reliever! What about buying some Med-X?” Straus’ head began to tilt and she smiled a toothy grin.

It would take a fool not to notice how Marlene had flinched when the local quack had mentioned Med-X. Boone found himself also tilting his head a bit in confusion. How come the woman standing in front of him was so affected by the quack mentioning Med-X.

“Erm...I’ll just buy some stimpaks. Listen doc, I’m spending the last of my caps on stupid stimpaks, you could at least try harder to not play the role of an avid seller,” Marlene squinted her eyes noticing how Straus had flinched when she put on her intimidating front. Straus sighed before saying in a meek voice, “That’ll be 375 caps. And don’t forget to keep me in mind for any further medical treatment.”

And so, Boone and Marlene found themselves walking in a comfortable silence on the lonesome Highway 95. Other than the ocasional glance to the other, Marlene and Boone both hesitated to create any meaningful conversation. After a small run-in with some giant ants Marlene cleared her throat loudly.

“Sorry I wasn’t able to buy the Med-X, it’s just…” her words trailed off as she directed her gaze away from the pile of dead ants to Boone’s stoic face.

“It’s just what? I never really asked for an explanation,” Boone crossed his arms and frowned. Instead of continuing to walk, the two stood there, Marlene feeling smaller than she had ever felt before against Boone’s tall stature.

“Yeah yeah I know. Apparently I was addicted to the stuff before the whole Goodsprings incident-- at least that’s what Doc Mitchell told me,” Marlene took a step back from Boone and found herself looking to the map on her Pipboy for distraction. “ _At least that’s what Doc Mitchell told me” is surprisingly becoming a common phrase in my life._

Boone on the other hand looked back at the dead ant pile for his own means of distraction. _Oh, she was addicted to Med-X. Why couldn’t I have seen that coming earlier?_ Sweat dripped down from Boone’s clean shaven head. He adjusted his stuffy red beret in an attempt to cool himself.

“I don’t really feel like traveling with a junkie so don’t worry,” Boone found those words slipping out of his mouth more easily than he thought, “I’ll personally make sure you won’t touch the stuff.” Boone realized quickly that the last remark didn’t seem friendly as much as it sounded threatening. Whoever Doc Mitchell was at least he sounded like he had a better judgement than Ada Straus in Novac. Boone checked to see if Marlene’s demeanor changed at all and when he noticed her shoulders slump visibly under some sort of invisible stress he decided it was time to start walking again.

“...Thanks I guess,” Marlene wouldn’t deny that there was an edge to Boone’s voice when he mentioned the words “junkie” and “personally make sure”. _It’s the meaning behind those words that counts...right?_ For once Marlene found herself following Boone. Apparently he’d visited Boulder City before, at least that’s what Marlene hoped when she trudged behind him. Maybe that’s what traveling companions in the Mojave were supposed to be like-- no words just silence and shooting at things. Boulder City never seemed neither far away or closer as the pair continued to travel in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a slow build story. trying to NOT (whoops forgot to put that in) make it a stereotypical courier and boone meet up and fuck™ story. feedback appreciated! thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlene and Boone do some negotiating at Boulder City.

There was a sudden onset of Vipers when the pair had begun to approach Boulder City. Just before they would have to veer off of the main road I-15 to reach Boulder City’s entrance. Before they reached that point there was a lowly looking pre war gas station on the side of highway. The Vipers had rushed out at them with their leader outright attempting to shoot at Marlene’s head. Boone found himself increasingly getting pissed off with Marlene’s “gunslinging” skills. She would rather spend time on the pageantry of unholstering the small pistol and aiming it at a raider than actually shooting the damn thing. Nevertheless when she did bother to shoot her pistol the shot would go cleanly through the target’s head or chest area. Once the last Viper was cleared Boone looked back at his companion and groaned.

Marlene was already shifting through one of the raider’s bodies. Every now and then when she’d find ammo or some caps a small squeal of excitement would escape her lips. After finding a meager amount of caps on the raider’s body, Marlene looked up and noticed Boone’s glaring eyes.

“Whatcha starin’ at? We’re gonna need more stimpaks eventually...may as well start collecting the necessary funds now,” Marlene smirked. She didn’t wait for Boone’s reaction when she kicked the dead Viper’s half blown out skull away from sight.

“There’s no need to scavenge their dead bodies like some kind of savage,” Boone retorted back. At this point he didn’t care if Marlene was worried about their apparent lack of funds.

“They’re raiders, Boone, they were trying to kill us. You know they would’ve done the same if we hadn’t killed them.”

Boone looked down at Marlene again. This time she had stood up and had her hands placed on her hips. Her face scrunched up in annoyance as she turned around from Boone and continued to walk onward in the direction of Boulder City. If there was one thing Boone had noticed about his companion since the time they started to travel together, Marlene tended to avoid conflict at all costs. It was as if right when she knew she was going to say something regretful she turned away from the NCR sniper and kept pushing forward. The hot Mojave sun beat down on their backs as the pair headed up a large hill that overlooked what used to be a station and what used to be Boulder City. Marlene smiled taking in a deep breath as she and Boone lowered themselves down from the hill. The farm would be a place to explore later. Marlene had bigger things on her mind right now than scavenging through what looked like a now abandoned train station.

Boulder City looked like a complete mess. Marlene was sure of the fact that she had never visited Boulder City during her time as a courier-- while her memory was still hazy she knew for a fact that her past self would’ve preferred to stay away from ruins. When they approached the entrance after walking through piles of rubble they found a lone man standing outside the gate. He looked distraught as he fumbled around with what looked like a radio. Whoever he was trying to communicate with was obviously having some problems reaching him as he pounded his fist onto the top of the radio.

“Excuse me mister,” Marlene approached the man with gentle curiosity. Judging by his uniform he was a soldier for the NCR-- presumably a higher up. The man looked up from his radio and sighed.

“If you’re thinking you can just wander into the ruins without NCR approval I would not take a single step further.”

Marlene shifted awkwardly. She certainly hadn’t expected Boulder City to be so glum and depressing. To make matters worse the supposed “leader” of the ruins wouldn’t let her go any further. Boone looked towards his companion and noticed how she tensed up when the Lieutenant had shut her down without an explanation. Marlene clearly didn’t like being told no.

“Listen mister, I don’t have time for this. Someone shot me in the head and I’m trying to find him. Sources say he was headed out towards Boulder City and I would like to see if he’s here or not,” Marlene grumbled. She hadn’t expected there to be that much resistance when she saw the soldier in front of her sigh loudly.

“First of all, you’re better off calling me Lieutenant. Lieutenant Monroe,” Monroe began as he fiddled with his thumbs. The glares of the strangers in front of him was making him feel increasingly uncomfortable, “Normally I would let you in but were currently trying to negotiate the freedom of two hostages that the Khans took when they stormed this place. A shootout is about to happen and I’d rather you two leave.”

“Monroe I think I have an idea!” Marlene smiled. Boone behind her groaned inwardly. It seemed like Marlene’s ‘plans’ were always rash and heat of the moment...thus making them more susceptible to failure. “What if we go and negotiate with the Khans? Then the NCR won’t have to be involved at all.”

“Hmmm...you know what? That doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I mean I wouldn’t be telling my higher ups about this but you’re welcome to try. If things turn violent we’ll provide back up.”

“Trust me Monroe. You won’t have to worry about that,” Marlene winked and Boone found himself inwardly groaning again.

Monroe walked over to the gate and unlocked it with his keys. He gave the pair a curt nod and opened the gate for them. When they walked inside they saw multiple NCR soldiers crouch behind pieces of rubble with their guns drawn. Marlene seemed to have an aura of confidence surround her as she strutted her way to the building where Monroe said the Khans lay. The sight proved to be quite comedic. The two fools were just casually walking through an-almost-shootout.

Busting open the door Marlene was surprised when she saw the Khan that was standing in front of the counter. _Him_ . _Jessup_.

“What the hell?!? You’re that courier Benny shot back in Goodsprings! You’re supposed to be dead!” the Khan blurted out before Marlene could even get a word in. Boone looked towards his female counterpart and noticed how the gloominess that Marlene seemed to exude before walking in was replaced with fiery passion. She carefully approached the counter and squinted her eyes. Rage seemed to fill every pore of her as Marlene attempted to restrain herself from decking the Khan in the face.

“Yes I am _that courier_. And I’m not too happy with the situation that I’m in right now. Where the hell are you hiding Benny?” Marlene’s voice seemed calm on the exterior but Boone observed that there seemed to be an edge to it as well. She was obviously trying to be polite in her negotiations but by the way Marlene had suddenly gripped the edges of the countertop he knew that she wasn’t as calm as she led on to believe.

“I wish I fucking knew where we were hiding Benny. He bolted after your little burial in Goodsprings.”

“What the hell? I thought you two were all buddy buddy when you kidnapped me and tried to shoot me to my death!” Marlene’s voice grew sharper. The other Khans in the room seemed to flinch when they heard a small little wasterlander girl try to talk tough to their boss. “What did you do to me? It’s your guys’ fault that I can’t remember a damn thing of my past!”

 

“For the record, I didn’t do anything. You were the one who suggested we try some Med-X back in Primm! I thought you were more of a doper than a courier,” Jessup retorted back. Marlene paused as she tried to search through what little memories she had of that night. But the more she tried to think the more she realized she was searching an empty box. _Was I really a doper? It makes sense that Doc Mitchell had to cure me of my ‘addiction’ but still...how could I be a courier and be constantly taking Med-X? What was I thinking?!?_

A soft sigh escaped Marlene’s lips before she began to speak again, “Let me guess...Benny made his way back to the Strip didn’t he? The only thing left I have to say is that you need to free those hostages.”

“Give me one good reason why I should free these hostages after what the NCR has done to my people.”

“You’re only going to lose more people if you chose to fight. The NCR will drop their weapons if you drop yours as well,” Marlene replied. At that point, she wanted nothing more than to leave Boulder City and continue the journey into New Vegas. Boone’s ears perked up hearing Marlene speak her convincing words. At least when she avoided conflict she was good in doing so. He’d never seen someone talk with so calmly with a Khan before. The thoughts of ditching her and going back to Novac seemed to all but disappear from Boone’s mind as he watched the courier make her way with the Khans.

“...I guess you’re right. I just want to go back to Red Rock. I’ve already lost my leader McMurphy and I guess I don’t want to lose anyone more,” Jessup seemed as if he was choosing his words carefully, “If you run into Benny again feel free to shove this up his ass.” He handed Marlene a checkered lighter-- _Benny’s lighter_. Marlene felt the anger that had felt like it was going to burst out of her chest subside away. There was no need for bloodshed. She had managed once again to talk her way out of a tricky situation. As Boone and her walked out of the Khan’s hideout building and out back to the entrance where Monroe was waiting she felt like she was walking on air. No one would be able to stop her from reaching her end goal. Not even the so-called ferocious gang of Khans were match to her smooth talking.

“I’ve negotiated and the Khans say they will retreat,” Marlene’s triumphant smile shone through her face. Boone found himself smiling too. When Marlene chose to smile genuinely instead of her usual shit eating grin it seemed contagious to those around her. Except Boone noticed that Monroe wasn’t smiling. He was frowning, his eyebrows scrunched as if in deep concentration.

“They ordered me to kill the Khans,” Monroe said bluntly. Marlene’s smile disappeared too, her frown becoming increasingly prominent.

“I don’t care what your higher ups say. Honor the agreement with the Khans. They don’t want any bloodshed just as much as you.”

Monroe paused as if he had something more to say. Instead he nodded his head in agreement, “Your kindness won’t be forgotten. Good luck reaching New Vegas, friend.”

Boone smiled seeing how Marlene smiled again. After a curt nod and a small thanks uttered from Marlene the pair began to walk away from the ruins. Instead of walking straight onto the main road, they walked into the direction of the Big Horn Saloon. Marlene suggested that the two rest up there for the night as she had no plans of stopping anywhere the next day. From Boulder City it would be a straight shot to New Vegas. After the two received the keys to a room from the excited bartender, they headed down the hallway and into a small room that housed two beds. Marlene kicked her dirty mud caked boots off and flounced onto the nearest bed.

“So Booney boy, what do you think about our situation? Can’t believe we’re already fighting the Legion!” Marlene was sprawled out on the bed, her head resting comfortably on her hand as she turned to face him.

“Just because you helped the NCR doesn’t mean we did anything to fight the Legion,” Boone sat down comfortably on the bed adjacent from hers.

“Hey it’s the thought that counts though,” Marlene let her free hand reach up and pull the bobby pins out of her updo. She gently combed her fingers through her long tangled golden hair. Boone snorted. Of course it was always the thought that counts. An awkward silence filled the room before Marlene reached over to the radio and turned it on. Mr. New Vegas always proved to be a comfort for her when she couldn’t sleep and Marlene dreaded the thought of the sun setting even further. Boone would fall asleep of course, like a normal human, and Marlene would toss and turn in the sheets. By the time she’d fall asleep she knew it would be early in the morning. And surely Boone didn’t like having to experience delays because of his incompetent partner.

“Marlene, you probably will mind me asking this...but who really were you before Goodsprings?” Boone broke the silence. Marlene was shocked. Usually it was her who had to ask questions, painfully extracting the answers from Boone. The tables had turned  
“A Med-X addicted courier apparently,” Marlene answered, “I don’t think being a courier was my main gig. Clearly I would’ve had to known Benny to approach him in Primm. There must’ve been something else I did before that.” A sudden wave of sadness rippled through her body. The feelings of loss and emptiness seemed to overcome Marlene. Boone noticed the abrupt change in his companion’s disposition. Maybe he wasn’t the only one haunted by his past. Except instead of hearing screaming women and children burning in the back of his head, he imagined that Marlene could literally hear nothing. For the first time in a while Boone felt himself empathizing with another person. It was a strange foreign feeling to him as he noticed Marlene’s once bright brown eyes turn misty as if she was trying to hide her tears. For the first time in a while Boone felt a small pain in his heart-- afraid of caring for the woman who laid in front of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are starting to get mildly spicy. like mild salsa. thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Early in the morning Boone found himself waking up to the sounds of Marlene snoring softly in the bed across from him. For someone who usually seemed to be so energetic and passionate when she was awake she seemed so harmless and docile asleep. Boone noticed how much softer her facial features looked like when she was at peace instead of arguing with whoever they’d happen to run into. He didn’t linger his gaze towards her for long. Both of them knew they were on a mission and up until this point Marlene had seemed like time was an important factor in extracting her revenge on Benny.

“Marlene,” Boone raised his voice when he didn’t see Marlene waking up, “MARLENE!” As if right on queue, Marlene arose from her slumber and turned her head sharply towards Boone.

“What the hell do you want!?!” She cried out shooting an angry glance towards Boone. Boone inwardly rolled his eyes. Maybe he would’ve been better off just staying Novac. Marlene rubbed her sleepy eyes and reached for her bobby pins so that she could tie her hair up once again. After a few minutes of fluttering around the small room, Marlene gave a simple nod and the pair walked back out into the Mojave.

“I can’t believe it, Boone. We’re halfway there! Freeside is just around the corner,” Marlene grinned looking towards Boone. They had fallen into their usual routine-- Marlene would have a one-sided conversation with Boone who would only occasionally offer a grunt or a nod in response. So far the roads were clear. They hadn’t run into any giant ants or Vipers since heading out in the morning. The bright blue Mojave sky loomed above them, the hot sun beating down on their faces. Marlene would never tell anyone but the confines of her leather armor were soaked with sweat turning her precious armor into a weird sauna type contraption. The weather was too humid and hot and Marlene found herself not wanting to play games with Boone anymore. If he didn’t want to talk then she wouldn’t either. What appeared to be an overpass on the old highway came into sights and Marlene and Boone both sighed in relief. The overpass looked like it was inhabited-- not by raiders but by actual people. The two hurried their pace and proceeded towards the “golden” overpass.

When they arrived at the overpass Boone felt like the place was familiar. Carla and him could’ve stopped there when they traveled from the Strip to Novac. It was all distant memories to him now but he found himself feeling calmer after seeing how NCR soldiers guarded the entrance of the place. Marlene made her way towards the apparent bar, not wanting to waste a second doing anything else. She was intrigued by the kid that she had seen sitting under the overpass but she needed water more than anything else right now. It didn’t matter whether the water was purified or dirty either way she knew she would suffer if she didn’t do something to quench her thirst.

A woman walked forward from behind the bar and directed a catty smile towards Boone. Marlene chose to ignore the woman’s actions.

“Excuse me miss, I was wondering if I could see what you have for sale,” Marlene interrupted the woman and watched as the startled woman turned her gaze towards Marlene.

“Welcome to the 188 trading post, I’m Michelle. What’re you looking to buy?”

The two had retreated to a partially shaded picnic table after buying some purified water from Michelle. Her dad Samuel wasn’t willing to repair Marlene’s dinky 10mm pistol for a lowered price and so Marlene sulked drinking her water. Having high charisma was a good trait but it didn’t always work out in Marlene’s favor. Boone noticed the disappointment in Marlene’s face and slid her the rest of the squirrel bits he had bought. She slid the squirrel bits back to him and frowned. Her stomach felt upset from the dirty water she could barely afford to buy and eating would only make it worse.

“You should stop sulking like that. You’re acting like a child,” Boone returned his attention to the last squirrel bit that remained on the kabob stick. He knew that his blunt words would raise a reaction in Marlene. He also knew that he didn’t want to deal with Marlene’s said reaction. He regretted his words immediately.

Surprisingly enough, Marlene refused to answer. She didn’t care that Boone thought that she was acting like a child. The weather had a way with affecting Marlene’s brain and she knew that when it was humid and unbearingly hot she knew that whatever she’d say as a comeback would come off harsher than what she meant. At least Boone had started the conversation for once. Even if his words were annoying she felt content knowing that Boone had tried to recognize her emotions.

“You see that girl over there wearing a hood?” Marlene asked. While they were sitting at the picnic bench, a suspicious woman wearing a hood seemed to move slowly towards their table. Maybe she wanted to talk?

“Don’t tell me you’re going to talk to her…” Before Boone could finish his sentence he saw Marlene get up from her spot from the table and approach the hooded woman. He had no choice but to follow.

“Listen Veronica, I know that you’re trying to put up this whole mysterious act but don’t take me for a fool. I know you’re from the Brotherhood of Steel.” What had Boone walked into? Why did Marlene always have to be direct with her statements? The hooded woman who was now apparently Veronica laughed.

“You’re right, Marlene. Sorry for putting up ‘an act’, I just have to be careful with what I say to you wastelanders. Besides, what do you even think of the Brotherhood?” Veronica didn’t appear to notice Boone walking into their conversation. She reached forward to place a hand on Marlene’s shoulder. Boone inwardly cringed seeing the interaction he had never seen such a pair become buddy-buddy so quickly. She was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel-- the NCR’s  _ other _ enemy. Over the years of serving under the NCR Boone had learned to have a severe mistrust towards those who belonged to the Brotherhood of Steel. Nothing good ever came from those individuals as they swayed around in their power armor trying to cause chaos wherever they went. Veronica seemed different from the rest of the lot. Instead of wearing the gaudy power armor she appeared to dress normally as if she was trying to hide the fact that she was a member of that particular organization.

“Well from what you have told me, while the Brotherhood seems backwards with their whole isolationist policies, their ultimate goal seems noble enough.”

“Oh Marlene...if only more people could be open like you. If only you weren’t traveling with baldie over there...we could make a great team…” Marlene found herself giggling when Veronica called Boone ‘baldie’

“Wait here Veronica. Once I get settled down in the Strip maybe we could travel somewhere. It’ll be a while though,” Marlene managed to settle down her uncontrollable giggles to deliver those sincere words to Veronica.

_ Great, now I’m being openly called baldie and I still have to travel with her to the Strip. Woe is me, _ Boone thought as Veronica waved goodbye to the pair. Marlene personally would’ve enjoyed Veronica’s company more than Boone’s-- she did know how to hold a proper conversation but she wanted to keep her promise to Boone. She had recruited him under the guise of fighting the Legion and it would be pointless to let him go now. While she didn’t know much about the bald man that had become her companion she had found herself growing fond of traveling with him. It had only been yesterday that the two had made their way to the ruins of Boulder City. When Boone did want to talk, like in the Big Horn Saloon, she found him endearing enough. Marlene would realize later that some people like Boone for example, would rather listen than talk.

Back onto the main road, Marlene and Boone continued to walk. The sun was starting to fade away into the western reaches of the sky which made the weather more bearable. Mr. New Vegas played Johnny Guitar for what felt like the umpteenth time and it seemed to set a solemn mood for the two companions. More and more abandoned derelict buildings appeared in the horizon and Marlene hoped that that meant they were getting closer to Freeside. She checked the map on her Pipboy and sighed loudly. They were not going to make it to the entrance of Freeside before nighttime. And if there was one thing Marlene didn’t want to do it was to enter Freeside during the nighttime. She didn’t want to admit it now but she knew she would have to eventually tell Boone they’d have to rest somewhere.

Luckily Marlene noticed a sign in the distance that said “Grub n’ Gulp” in poorly written letters. Before she could even think of suggesting the possibility of stopping there to Boone she saw a group of armored men walking in their direction.

Normally Marlene would be quick to dismiss the armored men as she had seen traveling mercenaries guard caravans on the road before. This group of armored men was different, their choice of dress reminded Marlene of Nipton. Nipton was the one place she didn’t want to be reminded of and yet she knew that those men weren’t traveling mercenaries but Legion soldiers.

“Boone,” she paused and continued in a low voice, “Remember how I said we’re going to fight the Legion?” Boone turned towards Marlene before looking behind her.  _ Legionnaires. _ He didn’t want to pick a fight with them now. They would never make it against the Legion soldiers. It was a completely rigged situation. Marlene had a tendency to act on her impulses and her impulse was to attack the Legionnaire who was wearing a dorky helmet and sunglasses to conceal his face.

“Marlene,” Boone whispered back fiercely, “I know what you want to do but try to think for a second-- we’re completely outnumbered here!” His lame attempt to subdue her did nothing as she unholstered her pistol and swung it around a couple of times before aiming it at the Legionnaire’s head. Blood splattered everywhere as the measly Legionnaire fell to the ground. The rest of his group members noticed Marlene and began to charge towards her.

Marlene tended to stick to headshots while Boone would try to cripple the Legionnaires by shooting at their limbs. Once Marlene had thought she had gotten the last of the Legion soldiers she heard Boone cry out, “Marlene! Look behind you!” The blunt end of a veteran Legionnaire’s hit the back of her head. Boone couldn’t stand back and watch as Marlene dropped helpless to the ground, clearly incapacitated by the blow to her head. He pulled the trigger of his rifle and for once tried to aim for the scumbag’s head. He fired a second shot just to make sure that the veteran was completely dead. The soldier fell to the ground away from Marlene and Boone rushed towards his companion to check the damage. He rummaged through one of Marlene’s pouches that hung from her belt and found the stimpaks that she had bought from the quack only a day ago. Uneven labor breaths escaped from Marlene’s mouth as she tried to fight the darkness that began to overtake her thoughts. Boone prepared the stimpak and injected it into her side noticing how after a few seconds, the medicine had begun to take its effect and her breathing returned to normal. He found a dirty tank top inside another one of her pouches and grimaced at the sight of blood ruining Marlene’s precious hair. He gingerly picked up Marlene in bridal style and continued to walk. There was a billboard that had shittily advertised ‘Grub n’ Gulp’ that Boone had noticed earlier. He carried onward towards the direction of the sign, not wanting to think of the unconscious Marlene that he carried in his arms.

When Marlene awoke from her troubled slumber she could smell brahmin meat being roasted on a fire. She carefully blinked her eyes hoping that Boone hadn’t just abandoned her on the roadside. Sure, it was a stupid impulsive decision to go after the Legion soldiers but she knew that her actions were justified. Legionnaires to Marlene were one-dimensional bad people. She had more troubling things to worry about. When she had been knocked out it was as if her life flashed before her eyes and sure enough, she had started to remember some crucial things about who she was before being shot by Benny. The memories that had returned to her were painful to say the least and she cringed at the thought of who she was before Goodsprings.

“Glad to see you’re awake,” Boone’s voice interrupted Marlene’s thoughts. He ruffled Marlene’s hair much to her displeasure and offered her a bottle of water. “Look at this stuff, it’s purified. Better than that dirty crap you were drinking earlier.”

Marlene tried to take small sips but she hadn’t had clean water in weeks. She began to gulp down the water, ignoring her body’s pleas to take it easy. She noticed Boone was nursing his own bottle too-- except for it wasn’t water.  _ Whiskey. _ Marlene perked up at the thought of her favorite alcoholic drink. The last time she had gotten properly drunk was after the Goodsprings showdown where she and a couple of other townies fought off a group of Powder Gangers from taking over the settlement.

“Let me have a few swigs of that, will ya?” Marlene reached over to try and grab the bottle from Boone. He rolled his eyes not wanting to mention the obvious-- she had just been almost killed by a blow to the head by a sledge hammer.  _ Maybe you should rest before getting into hard liquor again. _ But the look in Marlene’s glimmering brown eyes made Boone relent. He passed the bottle to her and watched as a ‘few’ swigs turned into practically chugging half the bottle.

“I paid good money for that ya know,” Boone grumbled. Carla was never one to drink and she hated being around Boone when he would go out drinking with his army buddies.

“Whatever. I have a question for you... _ baldie _ ...I mean...Boone…” Marlene snickered at the fact that she had just accidentally called Boone baldie instead of his actual name. Boone was his real name...right?

“What’s on your mind?” Boone snatched the bottle back and began to remove the brahmin meat he was roasting from the fire that burned in front of them.

“Does your past haunt you? Because mine does,” Marlene felt the alcohol rushing through her veins. Vivid images of the Courtyard and its inhabitants flashed through her mind. She could imagine the man’s gross alcohol reeking breath close to her lips. The smell of the cigars that she would have smoked with the man earlier began to overpower her mind as well. The images weren’t unpleasant but they made her sad. Boone’s voice interrupted her thoughts once again.

“Marlene, what do you think? You’re concerning me right now.”

Marlene couldn’t respond to him. It was a stupid question to ask in the first place-- it was a question only her dumb drunk self could ask. She didn’t want to tell Boone that her memory had seemed to return. She didn’t want to tell Boone that she was hardly a seasoned courier when she was given the platinum chip to deliver. She couldn’t tell him that the reason why she was addicted to Med-X or even the fact that she had offered Benny a chance for him to become her customer again back in Primm. There was also the fact that she had already taken her daily dose of Med-X before speaking to him and that she accepted the psycho he had offered her. But most important of all, she absolutely had no clue how she’d be able to tell Boone that the reason why her life had been going into a dead end direction was because she was a hooker who worked at Gomorrah before a seemingly nameless man had helped her escape. How would could she explain that to him?

Boone noticed the uneasy silence that Marlene had drifted into. He figured she was just a little too drunk and close to passing out again. He set the plate of Brahmin steak that he’d prepared down and sat next to Marlene. If there was one thing Marlene had taught Boone that day was that sometimes impulse decisions were necessary. And so, he wrapped an arm around Marlene bringing her in closer to his chest. Marlene tried to stop the tears that she felt building up from pouring out. She felt safe in his arms, knowing that in the morning when they were both hungover they’d try to forget their small moment of solidarity. Maybe tomorrow she could tell Boone the bad memories of her past. But tonight they sat in a familiar silence neither one of them attempting to say more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> backstory™ thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

When Marlene awoke in the morning she was pleasantly surprised to see that Boone had stayed by her side the whole night. After she had sat in his arms for a while they had eaten the brahmin steak and drunkenly stumbled to an area of the rest stop that had beds. Neither of them had bothered to find separate mattresses. Boone laid beside her, snoring softly with half of his body touching the ground. Marlene sat up, feeling her head that ached. She shouldn’t have drank the whiskey but it was too late now. They were too close to Freeside for them to stay at the Grub N Gulp stop nursing their hangovers. Marlene remembered how Mr. New Vegas had mentioned the Kings who were at odds with the NCR on the radio. From what she’d heard from a settler in Primm the cost to get into the Strip was 2000 caps-- money that Marlene could only dream of having. She figured the only way to get into the Strip was to talk to the King. Maybe if she could charm him enough he’d find an alternative method of getting them into the Strip.

Even if they were able to get into the Strip, Marlene was still worried. Back in Goodsprings Victor the securitron told her that they’d meet again soon. Marlene certainly didn’t want to meet Victor again. He seemed to have had ulterior motives when he told her the story of how he pulled her out of the shallow grave Benny and the Khans had left her in. Besides Victor, Marlene definitely did not want to go anywhere near the Gommorah. She was afraid that if one of the guards recognized her, they’d want to take her in again. Boone’s soft snoring had transitioned into loud snoring which broke Marlene from her thoughts. As long as she was with him, there was no way anyone would be able to get their hands on her...right? Marlene couldn’t stand to wait another minute. The time to go to Freeside was now. She tapped Boone on his shoulder watching the bald headed man stir from his slip.

“W-what time is it?” Boone asked groggily. He rolled over and completely fell of the mattress, prompting Marlene to laugh a little under her breath. During the past few days they’d traveled together, Marlene had come to see Boone as a perfect sniper. Every move he’d made seemed perfectly calculated like he could do no wrong. Seeing Boone in a hungover state made Marlene change her mind about the companion. 

“Don’t worry it’s not that late...let me check my Pipboy,” Marlene glanced down at said Pipboy and sighed, “It’s actually one in the afternoon. Maybe we really should head out then…”

Boone groaned as he felt his head pound. He couldn’t understand how Marlene could act so lively right now. He looked to the side and saw his beret laying in the dirt. Marlene looked towards the same direction as Boone and snatched the red beret out of the dirt. It was a little muddy but it’d have to do. She tossed it at Boone and grinned.

“Well, what are waiting for? Let’s head out!”

Back on the road again the pair walked in silence. After yesterday’s failed attempts at conversation and attacking the Legionnaires in an unprecedented move, Marlene found herself completely burned out from attempting to forge a friendship with Boone. His actions spoke for himself anyways. When Marlene was knocked out from the veteran Legionnaire she knew that Boone had carried her to the Grub N’ Gulp stop. He could’ve abandoned her and ran but instead he didn’t and to Marlene that meant that he had more of a heart than what he led on to believe. She had bigger things on her mind than Boone’s mysterious personality. When she had awaken that night, she remembered a part of who she was. Sure the faces and names involved in her past were all but a haze she had at least remembered part of it. Benny had been a regular back when she worked at the Gomorrah. From what she could remember, he spoke in great detail about the hatred he held for his boss. She never understood who Benny’s boss was though. It confused her, if Benny was already the leader of the Chairmen why would he have another boss? Maybe he had mentioned his boss’s name before but the words seemed to escape Marlene’s mind. Benny hadn’t been her only regular customer however. Marlene remembered another customer who was significant to her. He was the one who had helped her escape and got her set up with a job in the Mojave Express. That was the man she truly cared about but his name was completely absent from her head.

“You’re awfully quiet today,” Boone’s voice once again interrupted the thoughts swirling around in Marlene’s head, “What’s on your mind?” Marlene paused and took out a bottle of purified water Boone had bought her before they departed from the rest stop. She methodically unscrewed the cap and began to down the contents of the bottle. 

“You’re avoiding the question Marlene,” Boone stated matter of factly. Marlene cringed at his words. Boone was right she was avoiding his question. He didn’t need to know of her past just like she didn’t need to know his. There was nothing to be gained by telling Boone that she had finally remembered who she really was. Yet Marlene was intrigued. Boone was never the one to start a conversation or even ask a question that was remotely related to Marlene. The only thing they had ever really discussed in depth was fighting strategies.

“Do you really wanna know?” Marlene turned to look Boone straight in the eyes. She had never really bothered to study the man’s face before but now was the perfect time to do so. Boone breathed in sharply as he had never seen Marlene in that light either. The last time he studied her face she was passed out and bleeding from the back of her head. Her sharp nose and pouty lips had never looked so enticing as he watched the woman in front of him unpin the hair that laid so perfectly on the top of her head in a bun. Marlene took in a shaky breath seeing Boone nod his head. She failed to notice his wandering eyes. There was no going back and it wasn’t like Boone could judge her for the things she’d done considering the fact that Manny back in Novac had mentioned Bitter Springs to her.

“When that Legionnaire knocked me out, he managed to hit the right spot,” Marlene began taking in another deep breath, “I’ve started to remember things-- things about who I was before I was shot in the head by Benny.”

“You remembered something? What was it?” Boone scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Ever since Carla he was certain he’d never find anyone-- especially a woman-- to be attractive again. He found himself being drawn like a moth to light to Marlene. She was full of mysteries waiting to be unraveled. It also helped that she had a steady aim. That in Boone’s mind could only make a woman seem more enticing.

“Before I was a courier I was a hooker-- and I worked at the Gomorrah. Benny was one of my regulars and when I saw him in Primm while making that fateful delivery, I couldn’t help but find myself asking him to hang out with me one last time…” Marlene nervously pulled at her hair, trying to pull it up into a bun again. She searched Boone’s face for an immediate reaction but she found none. He was still processing his thoughts. “When I worked at the Gomorrah it was hard for me to leave because they constantly supplied me with Med-X and other chems. For a while I valued taking Med-X over my own life. I wouldn’t mind getting treated roughly by a customer because they would always pay up in the end and I could use those caps to buy Med-X.”

“Let’s just say...I’ve been to the Gomorrah before when I was stationed near the Strip. They don’t like to lose their girls that easily. What did you do to escape?” Boone asked Marlene in a genuine voice. Marlene didn’t have to guess why Boone had been to the Gomorrah before so she felt comfort in his words. At least he didn’t try to attack her outright.

“Oh Boone, I was able to leave thanks to another regular of mine but his name escapes me. He dressed me in a disguise and he just casually led me out…” Marlene’s voice trailed off. What had really happened that night? All that she could remember so far was the man adjusting the hat he put on her and gripping her tightly until they were back in Freeside. While it was a start that Marlene remembered some things, she still didn’t have full access to her memories. She scrunched up her face in frustration.

“Well at least everything makes sense now...right?” Boone turned away from Marlene. There was no point in just standing out in the open when they could be walking into Freeside. Still, Boone found himself pitying the woman that stood in front of him. Of course she had worked at the Gomorrah. Now that he had found himself examining her face closer it reminded him of the workers who stood dancing outside the Gomorrah trying to entice the NCR soldiers to join them inside. From that point on Boone looked at his traveling partner in a different light. She wasn’t as naive or reckless as she’d tried to make herself seem.

Marlene sighed and shook her head, “No if anything it makes things more confusing. I...I don’t think I want to face him again.” Boone raised in eyebrow in surprise. The past few days when Marlene rambled to herself she’d always mention her plans for getting revenge on Benny. This was a sudden change of thought and it confused Boone.

“Marlene. We’re going to get to Freeside and we’re going to get into the Strip! We didn’t just walk all the way out here for nothing!” Boone snapped. He pretended not to see Marlene flinch at his words.   
“We’ll see what happens when we get to Freeside then,” Marlene looked away from Boone in shame. He knew that she would’ve walked away right then and there if he hadn’t spoken up. She hated to admit it but Boone was truly right. They had passed Boulder City a long time ago. The illustrious Lucky 38 that once seemed like a small speck in the horizon had suddenly grown a lot closer. They had already walked past various NCR settlements and Camp McCarran. Freeside’s east gate appeared on the horizon. By the time Marlene and Boone made it to the said gate, night was settling in and the moon was hung forlornly in the sky. Entering Freeside’s east gate turned out to be an event in itself. Marlene could barely remember Freeside from her earlier experiences there. It came to no surprise to either of the companions that they would encounter a Freeside thug or two when they entered as well.

“So what’s your plan now? We’ve only just entered this shithole and already two people have attacked us unprovoked,” Boone said in a sharp tone. He hadn’t really remembered Freeside that much either. Already the sights of drunks and vagrants walking about made him feel sick to his stomach. He knew that as they continued to walk even further into the center where the Atomic Wrangler and Silver Rush lay they’d encounter worse people. Marlene shook her head, contemplating what to say next.

“Let’s just find a place to rest. We’ll go to the Kings tomorrow. I just want to sleep right now,” Marlene looked around the area only noticing derelict abandoned buildings that seemed to litter the landscape. They continued to walk past the filthy abandoned buildings until they reached an intersection in the road. Next to the intersection laid some type of fort with two guards in the front and a strange flag flying above it. There was a Mojave Outpost box where Marlene dropped off a few scrap electronics that cluttered her inventory. A child nearby was chasing a molerat which at the sight of that Marlene pulled out her pistol and proceed to shoot at the molerat until its head blasted off. Boone scoffed at the sight. Compared to the flashy glitz and glam of the Strip, Freeside paled in its comparison. He could only wonder what Marlene would do to pay the ridiculous fee to get into the Strip.

The pair continued to walk further down the street until they reached a building that had half of its top blown off. Two dumpsters lay abandoned near the door that allowed entrance to the building. Marlene removed the cover of one of the dumpsters, hoping to find ammo. Instead she found an empty bottle and a bag that smelled somewhat like human feces. She turned to Boone in disgust and motioned for him to step through the building’s door. Inside they heard the ramblings of a drunk man who refused to leave the yellow carpet he was sitting on. Marlene shrugged her shoulders and cast her glance over to an empty chair and mattress. This was where they’d have to stay until she could get into good favor with the Kings. Boone sat down on the chair and let out a loud sigh.

“Don’t think I can sleep with that drunk man over there rambling,” Boone said staring at the wall that faced him. Marlene peeked through the doorway to check on said drunk and sighed as well. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep either.   
“Don’t think I can either. But I do have a fresh lukewarm Sunset Sarsaparilla that could help me,” she chuckled popping open the last of her Sunset Sarsaparilla collection. Boone nudged her with his foot and she passed the bottle over to him. But after finishing off her beloved Sunset Sarsaparilla Marlene felt more drowsy than anything and she drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep. Boone couldn’t help but look down once again at the woman that laid in front of him. There was something peaceful about the way that she slept-- curled up in a little ball. For someone who seemed to exude self confidence and the whole “don’t worry I know what I’m doing” act when she was awake-- Marlene seemed so different when she slept. Boone was starting to realize that maybe--just maybe-- Marlene was starting to mean something different to him than when they first met.  _ I’ve can’t believe I’m falling for a hooker-- no a courier...well I guess technically she was a hooker. What would Carla say about that? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops i haven't been able to sit down and write in a while. also this was poorly proofread and written while under influence of alcohol. be warned.


End file.
